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Trump Tweets Puerto Rico Was ‘Broken’ Before Hurricane Maria

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President criticizes island’s infrastructure and debts.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally for Senator Luther Strange in Huntsville
Aaron Bernstein / Reuters

After criticism that he had not tweeted about hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico, President Donald Trump on Monday night appeared to blame the island for its suffering. “Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble,” Trump tweeted. “It’s [sic] old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with.” Since Hurricane Maria struck last Wednesday—killing 10 and knocking out power for 3.4 million—Trump tweeted more than a dozen times about NFL players’ protests against police brutality.